Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-29
PET BURGLAR ALARMS
WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO SLEEP
WITH ONE EYE OPEN.

The Silent Bull Terrier the Most Effect
i've House Protector-Fate of Thief.
A Rufian in the Kitchen-Bit of Ad-
vice.
II do not train dogs to watch for burglars |
said falcier, but some of them that are /
well bred are led to do it by their natural |
sagacity and force of character. They may |
not perform the duty with the desperate en-
ergy that is shown by the Witty brown cur |
with the long tail and the black patch over
his eye, but they will do it well enough to
answer every reasonable expectation. That
bull terrier you see there now, weighing
about thirty-five pounds, with the undershot
Jaw and ugly enough to be put into cham
her of horrors anywhere, might be wide
awake when a robber is squeezing his body
through the pantry window, but he would
make no effort to stop the mans entry; but
once in the fellow would have hard work to
get ont again.
1T is not easy to say what the bull terrier
will do with the prisoner when he has him at
his mercy. II depends largely upon the ami
mails previous general mot special training,
Certainly the man Will have no voice in the
matter, unless he howlS to the inmates of tine
house for protection, which is really the
wisest course be could take, though he sci
dom chooses it. A personal encounter hand
| to tooth would be a forlorn hope indeed, and
| the possession of a pistol gives fewer sd-
vantages than you might think. The drawing
of the weapon would precipitate the conflict
| The bull terrier is q brute hard to kill, and a
mere wound only adds to its ferocity.. Then
| the combatants are too close together to al
| low of the effective use Of a revolver, and a
throat grip which the dog may get at once,
| and is almost sure to secure in few seconds,
will very quickly place the robber where a
pistol, though il would probably he dis
charged before the trigger was pulled will
do him no good.
THE dog is not going to disturb the family.
He is a sentinel who can watch without max
ing everybody else watch, too. Daylight, he
thinks, will be quite time enough for those to
whom he owes allegiance to inquire into tile
merits of the case, and the only serious ques-
ton that arises is: VIII the burglar be able to
take his proper place in the investigation'
Or, in other words, returning to the original
proposition, What is the bull terrier going to
do with him.
| SEVERAL ILLUSTRATIONS.
81 know of three cases in which distinct
answers were given to that question. The
; head OF a family was warned by his butler
that he had noticed some suspicious hooking
men prowling about the rear of the house,
and would respectfully suggest that the silver
ware be sent to the vaults of safe deposit.
This advice was given after business hours
but the gentleman determined to avail him
self of it on the following day. Meanwhile
he borrowed a big, unaIniable bull terrier
from the butcher and neglected to mention
the fact to the butler. Nobody in the upper
regions of the house was disturbed that night
for the work down stairs was done in silence
The next morning the dead body Of the butlel
was found lying on the floor of the pantry
with the dog CrOuching beside it. The manl
throat was tori out and some of the family
iewelry was in his pockets. The silverwar
was placed SO that, had he not been inter
% rupted, he could have quickly and easil,
handed it to his confederates, whose footprint
were stamped upon the clay beneath the win
dow He bad warned his master in order f
prevent suspicion from fg ling upon himself
= = but he had not taken the bu. terrier into hi
r calculations.
:. Then | knew an old lawyer who wa
" aroused before daybreak by roars for help il
t the hall, and going down stairs found iuI
glar sitting on marble top table, and
fierce eyed bull terrier that friend of miI,
had given him as a fee for defending IA lay,
8 suit. gazing at him from the floor.
2 And, again, once sold fine hull teriie
I to an elderly lady, who, disfrlsting servant
8 and living all alone in her house though
y She needed such a protector. Coming dow
TO light the fire one morning, she was horr
Il fed to find her dog g1-imy watching hurl
3 r1fiian in the kitchen.
IF you please, -narm., said the man, tOurl
s ing his cap as she entered, i amt too
a Bothin yet. That era wild beast q your
& would tore me to small bits if had He
y been keepin his eye on me, marin, and
& I'd stirred a step he'd been at me. I've pl
. in most uncommon nasty night, marn
. and do hopes you won't be hard on me
Z ''She was not hard upon him. She gay
him his breakfast and allowed him to 90 IL
moleSted Then she came around to N
~ place with the dog and sold him back TO n
nj st half price, saying that if | had told her
ch WIS So renorseless brute she would new
he have allowed him into her house at all
THE MOST USEFUL DOG.
i THE fact is, 10 watchdog is of the sligl
III, ,,ga 1olvr Je ba borl-c orl prone